UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 06 MARCH
The name of the late alumnus, Honorary Fellow of RBC and RBC Association (RBCA) Honorary Member John Ludlow will be inscribed in the Musicians’ Book of Remembrance. The book, which is maintained by the Friends of the Musicians’ Chapel, contains around 2,000 of the most famous names in music.
The inscription will take place at the annual Service of Thanksgiving, which will be held at the Musicians’ Church in St Sepulchre-without-Newgate on Wednesday 24 April.
John studied at RBC’s predecessor institution, Birmingham School of Music, in the 1950s. He was a respected violinist with an illustrious career, playing with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and at Covent Garden, among other orchestras. He was subsequently appointed Professor of Violin at the Royal College of Music, where he became involved in coaching orchestral string sections as well as teaching individual students.
John kept his connection alive with RBC as the longstanding administrator of the Birmingham Philharmonic Concerto (BPO) Prize, formerly the Ludlow Philharmonic Concerto Prize. The Prize is a competition for solo performers, which is organised and staged by RBC in association with the BPO.
John’s life
John was born in Birmingham in 1931 and began to play the violin at the age of four. In his late teens, he gained experience with the BPO, where his father was leader and then conductor. At the age of 17, he was appointed as the first leader of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
During his career, John studied under Danish violinist Henry Holst at the Royal College of Music, played with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as led the Orchestra of Sadler’s Wells Opera (now English National Opera) for four years.
John was awarded a Birmingham Conservatoire Honorary Fellowship in 1994 and died on 22 September 2022.